Nov.15,2032

Today I am celebrating my fifteenth birthday. The sun had finally broke through after two weeks of continuous rain and snow. My mother said that it was my guardian angel making sure I had a perfect day. I watched as my father did his morning workout. He was so strong and fast. I didn't understand why the husband of the CEO of Palmer Tech had to be so physically fit but he didn't miss a work out.

My mother was working on on something for work when her phone rang. I knew that it must've been important and confidential because she took the call in another room and told me to stay in the kitchen. When she came back in her face was as pale as a piece of chalk. She didn't acknowledge me until I asked "mother what's wrong"? She looked over at me and that's when I noticed tears glistening at the sides of her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and smiled. "Nothing is wrong Laurel. Just some work stuff that's getting out of hand". I knew what that meant. It meant please don't push the subject because I can't talk about it with my fifteen year old daughter.

That's when my dad walked in. He was sweaty and you could see it through his green hoodie. I hated that hoodie. It seemed like something a stalker or rapist would wear but my dad wore it everyday. He kissed me on the forehead and proceeded to give mom and very nice good morning kiss on the lips. I groaned. They were always so touchy feels with one another it was super gross. When dad finally came up for air mom caught him in her "I need to talk to you alone" stare. Looking back at me and giving his fake "everything is alright" smile, him and mom left the room. I stood as close to their door as I could but couldn't hear anything. When they wanted to hide what they were saying they could do it like the best criminals. They could plan a full out murder right there in their bedroom and no one would ever be wiser.

Getting bored of sitting by my parents door I decided to go and relax until my party tonight. I was so excited. Uncle John and aunt Lyla would be there with my cutie niece Sara. My aunt Sara and aunt Nyssa would be there as well. They would no doubt be bringing their son, Len, with them. He was always trying to sneak a peak under my shirt. Grandpa Quentin and grandma Donna would be there as well. They were the cutest grandma and grandpa ever and I never get tired of hearing about how they met. I was also sure auntie Thea and uncle Roy would show up as well. I didn't know for sure but I was hoping that my honorary God father's Mick and Leonard would be there with their daughter, Lisa. She was my age and we got along really well. I wish we lived closer because I would like to be more than friends with her. Ray and Kendra would be there as well and Ray always told really funny stories. My friends didn't understand why I liked hanging out with my parents and family more than them. It wasn't like I didn't enjoy hanging with my friends but they just didn't get me. I wasn't into teen dramas on tv or the mall or shopping in general. I loved science and math and computers. I loved to run and train with my dad. I looked at the clock and sighed realizing I still had six hours until my birthday party. Deciding I didn't really care to do anything else I went to sleep.

My alarm went off one hour before my party was to get started. I could hear my mom and dad talking downstairs and balloons being blown up. I told them I was too old for balloons but my mother insisted a birthday wasn't s birthday without balloons. I stood up and walked over to the full length mirror that I got to salvage from the old Queen mansion. Now we had our own mansion and I opted to keep it in my dressing room. Standing in front of the mirror I fixed my hair and made sure that any last minute touches that were needed was taken care of. I went and got my makeup case and stood in front of the mirror again but this time it wasn't me in the mirror. It was a bleeding woman in a black leather outfit. She had a mask on. I tried to scream but no sound came out. She stood up and stared right at me. "You will face the same fate as I" the woman in the mirror said. "We share a bond and that bond is one of death unless you can find a way to break it. To live your own life and not one to please others. You must pave your own way or someone else's way will get you killed. One can help others but they must also help themselves in the journey." With that she started to convulse and a nurse rushed in and looked at me saying Time Of Death: 11:59pm. The room started spinning. I felt as though I would be sick. I started screaming for my mom or for my dad but no one came. I felt alone and scared. I saw this young girl about my age. She was playing with a younger girl and a boy about her age. The boy kept looking at the girls passing by while the older girl watched him. She felt the girls wanting, the lust, the feeling flowing up from her lower extremities to her brain. Then it stopped. All those feelings. I was alone again. Then a woman older than myself stood their. She looked like she had been crying. She was kneeling at a grave. She was beyond consoling. She couldn't move, she didn't want to move. She loved the person in the grave but she also hated them. They ruined her life. Her plans. Her future. She would continue to work on her path but nothing seemed possible anymore. Again darkness. I wanted out, I wanted to go back home and have my birthday party. I was again in a room with the young girl. This time there were no other kids. Just her. She was chained to her bed. The chains looked like solid steel. She was crying. She wanted out but she was stuck. I couldn't move. I couldn't get closer. I felt something pinch my skin and then I felt blood. The girl went quiet. She asked if she could help. Just as she finished her question another chain locked around her arm. She asked again if i was ok. Again a chain linked around her arm. Just as she was about to ask again I screamed for my mother. I screamed for my father. I screamed for anyone who would listen because I didn't want her to get chained some more because I was bleeding.

"Laurel, honey please wake up" I heard my mom saying. "Laurel please wake up". I slowly tried to open my eyes. Though still blurry from sleep I could see my parents, my room. It was a dream. Just a silly dream. I hugged both my mom and dad and looked at the clock. 'Perfect timing nightmare, exactly an hour to go until my birthday celebration'.

The hour passed fast. I got on my best party dress and got out my special occasion glasses. I made sure that I looked alright in my mirror and headed down the stairs. We took the limo to our mansion for special events. Yes we have two mansions. We entered and when I got down to the main room I gasped for air. It was like walking into Cinderella's ball but this time it's the princesses ball.

I saw everyone and the presents were just magnificent. My mom keeps saying they spoil me to death but I think that I'm spoiled just right for life. I headed down and greeted everyone.

I scanned the crowd for two specific people. I started to feel like they might not have shown but then I saw the bald head and the army shave. 'Oh my god, they came, they came' I said to myself as I did my I'm so overly happy dance. Before I could make it all the way to my Lisa, arms wrapped around me like an octopus. I looked over my shoulder straight into Uncle Johns contagious smile. "Hey there jitterbug, where are you off to so darn fast" he asked and before I could turn my interest he had followed my line of sight and smiled. "Ah Lisa Rory is here and you want to go see her instead of your favorite Uncle John. I'll tell you what princess, you promise me one dance tonight and I will let you go and you can see your princess. Do we have a deal?" He said reaching out his hand. I shook it and took off. I should've watched where I was going better because I ran straight into Leonard which sent me straight onto my behind. I looked up, way up and saw he was smiling down at me. "Hey Mick the birthday girl seems excited to see you." Leonard said as he slapped Mick on the back. "Yeah I know who she is excited to see" he said gruffly. It's not that he didn't like us dating but he was definitely of the overprotective breed. He would know if she sneezed in a corn patch a thousand miles away. He would also be asking who made her sneeze and threaten to beat the crap out of whatever did it. I kept myself from laughing at my inside joke. Mom always said that my emotion people were severely out of whack. Reaching down Mick picked me up and put me over his shoulder with just one hand. I started beating my fists against his back while he asked Leonard if he could swat the irritating bug off his back. Leonard and Mick broke out laughing and I was trying my hardest not to but it didn't work. Lisa came up behind her dad, reached her leg around his and stepped down hard onto his foot. "Put her down daddy" she said in a demanding tone. She wore a sweatshirt and old jeans. Her hair was shaved into a cut like Leonard's. She scares my other friends but I think she is beautiful and she already has a tattoo. Mick put one on her the day she was born and Leonard added to it when she turned thirteen and became a woman for the first time. I guess they will finish it together when she turns eighteen. It was a raging fire on one side and a blizzard on the other. I couldn't wait to see what it came out to look like. Mick placed me back on my feet in front of Lisa. "You two go dance or something but don't even think that your doing anything else" Leonard said in his 'I'm too cool for you tone' and him and Mick walked off.

I could've stayed in that one spot forever just staring into Lisa's eyes. They were a raging fire cooled off by winters first snow. I took her hand and pulled her closer to me. I loved that she was herself no matter what. I continued pulling her in until she was right in front of my face. I leaned in, our lips close enough that I could feel her breath on my face. We were inches apart when my mother got on the microphone and said "can I please have the birthday girl up here right now"? I moaned and apologized to Lisa. I walked up to the stage very silently. I wasn't a very happy birthday girl. My mother made a toast and turned me over to Uncle John for the first dance of the evening. I enjoyed dancing with John but I really wanted to be with Lisa. I sighed. 'After this I can go and dance with Lisa all night' I told myself. Just then the windows to the mansion came crashing in. Even in all the chaos I wanted to kick myself for making myself a promise I couldn't keep. I ran over to Lisa and we hid under one of the snack tables. I lost track of my parents until my mom slid under the table with us. Leonard and Mick were getting along with their weapons, that I had no idea they had but where did dad go. "Mom, where is dad?" I asked panicked and scared for him. "Don't worry sweetheart him and some of the other guests locked themselves in the kitchen. I'm sure they will get word to the police soon" mom said without much gusto. I saw my grandfather shooting at the intruders. Then I saw a man in a tux come in through the front door. I had seen pictures of him in history class and in the newspaper archive at the library. It was Damien Darhk but how? I thought he had been killed when the green arrow and his team took down HIVES Genesis plot. I looked at my mom who didn't look all that surprised at Mr. Darhks return. I held onto Lisa's hand as tightly as I was able to.

"Alright let's stop this little gun show for a few minutes and focus on what's important. My revenge. I want The Green Arrow and friends, except his little canary friend because If memory serves me correctly she is ten feet under being eaten by bugs. Kinda of sarcastic really, a canary being eaten by bugs." He said as he scanned the room. Suddenly there was a flash of light and all of Damien's men and him were gone. "Mom what happened?" I asked totally confused. "I have no idea baby but I'm so sorry about your party" mom said as she pulled me closer. Mick and Leonard already had a human barrier around Lisa. The adults decided that it was safest for everyone to just head on home and we can have a cake and pizza the next day. As we walked out the front doors I watched Lisa get ushered into the backseat of the car with Leonard sitting right next to her. It almost happened, their first kiss. As we walked to our limo I saw a paper crane sitting in a drain. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. For some reason I was drawn to it.

Up in my room I was taking the last piece of my party attire off, the crown of course when mom walked in. "Honey, I'm so sorry your party got ruined but I have a special gift for a special little girl. As you know the doctors didn't know if I would ever be able to have children after I got attacked but your late aunt Laurel knew how much it meant to me so she donated tissue from her own uterus so they could repair mine. Then one year later you were born. She would've been so happy to have met you. Your father and the rest of us made this book for you to explain the truth behind her death and the danger that is lying before us". My mother handed me a very old looking book. I opened it and on one side was a picture of the fabled black canary and on the other side was written The Beacon of Star City.